Harmonic analysis and form in Schumann's Traumerei

Traumerei

Musical Analysis of Schumann's Traumerei

Considered one of the most famous piano pieces to emerge from the Romantic era, Robert Schumann's Traumerei is an intriguing little masterpiece with surprising harmonic changes issued from the Romantic prose and poetry (Botstein, n.d.). The following paragraphs will discuss the different musical elements encountered through a thorough analysis of Traumerei, including form, melody and harmony, and texture and rhythm.

Form

Traumerei is a short piece totaling 24 measures, with the first eight measures played twice. Those first eight measures could be referred to as the theme of the piece, as they set the standard for rhythmic figures that will be used later on. For a cut and dry form analysis, it is possible to say that Traumerei uses an AABA format, divided as follow:

A: measures 1 through 8.

A: measures 1 through 8 repeated.

B: measures 9 through 16.

A: measures 17 to 25.

It is also interesting to note a certain question and answer pattern from the beginning, with the first four bars acting as the question, while a similar rhythm with a varied melody acts as the answer, from measures 5 to 8. The same question and answer pattern is used throughout the piece, with each question and answer separated in groups of four measures. (ed. Johnson 1924, p. 114)

Texture and Rhythm

Traumerei's texture is hard to define, as it closely resembles a combination of polyphony and homophony. As defined by the Free Dictionary, polyphony consists of two ore more independent melodic parts sounded together while homophony is a unique melody carried by a unique voice supported by a chord accompaniment. For example, it is clear that the upper voice is the main melody, which at many instances, seems to be supported by a harmonic progression; however, within this harmonic progression the second voice often seems to mirror the main melody, offering a glimpse of what could be considered polyphony -- mostly in the main theme in measures 1 through 4 and 17 to 20.

Throughout the piece, a consistent rhythm is being used, which not only helps reinforce the question and answer theory, but also allows the ear to lose itself in the beautiful harmonies instead of being disrupted by rhythmic changes. One thing that is interesting to note is that the interpretation of Traumerei is subjective to each pianist; experienced pianists often have their own interpretation, using rubato and taking liberties when it comes to tempo, which adds a new dimension to the listener's experience.